Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a broad range of conditions, often characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours and speech (Autism Speaks, 2019). No person with autism is the same, and no solution deals with all the issues they might face in school and everyday life.

AV1 can in some cases help alleviate some of the social issues children with autism can have. Eli Marte Rusten, a therapist working with children and young adults on the autistic spectrum explains how one of the adolescents she's been working with hadn’t been in school for several years because he had a hard time dealing with the social aspects of it.

“Now he participates in class from home, through AV1, and receives top grades.”

In the past the boy became really frustrated when the teacher was strict with other students in the classroom, as he felt that it was directed towards him. However, when he attended class through AV1, it created a necessary distance between him and what happened in the classroom, allowing him to concentrate on the curriculum and not everything else going on in the classroom.

“I think the robot has great potential, especially among children with Aspergers. I personally only work with children where the level of emotional conflict with the school is very high, that is, with children who haven't been in school for years and who refuse to go to school.

Eli Marte says that she would like to see AV1 implemented at an early stage, before the child experiences a high level of emotional conflict with going to school. She further says that it is important that the transition to using AV1 at school is well-prepared. She suggests the robot is gradually introduced, thoroughly tested and that the teachers and students in the class are well-informed.